One third of 7/7 survivors had post traumatic stress: research

One third of people who were caught up in the 7/7 London bombings suffered
post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers have said.

However, only four per cent of them were referred by their GP for specialist treatment, it has been found.

A study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, conducted in the aftermath of the 2005 bombings traced survivors of the attacks, which killed 52 and injured 700.

They found that many more people required treatment than had been offered it and the researchers from University College London recommended that in future disasters those exposed to atrocities are proactively traced.

Professor Chris Brewin, lead author of the study at UCL Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, said: "If this programme hadn't existed then there would be hundreds of people still suffering from post-traumatic stress or other psychological problems as a result of the 2005 terrorist attack. This intervention is really a new way of identifying traumatised people."

Survivors were identified from police statements and witness reports, hospital records and treatment notes taken at the scenes.

Prof Brewin said: "Many of the survivors complained that GPs often did not recognise or know how to treat their post-traumatic stress, a finding which is reflected in the literature. This study highlights that there are some extreme situations when relying on GPs and the primary care mechanism doesn't work."